“Do your best at
everything as if you were working for the Lord." ~ Colossians
3:23
When you think of first
responders, you probably picture paramedics, firefighters, and police officers.
But there’s someone behind the scene who
handles things long before those folks get involved. Dispatchers like Shaunda take emergency calls,
offer medical instruction, and calmly manage the trauma until more help arrives.
Shaunda rarely showed emotion beyond fatigue. But tonight, halfway through the second half
of a 16-hour shift, she felt tired, cranky and starving.
That’s when the suicide call came in.
Mom found teen daughter
hanging from ceiling fan and cut her down … ambo rolling … started talking Mom
through CPR.
Sirens blaring in the background signaled that her job was now
nearly complete. Being so close to such
pain and hearing Mom’s soul-crushing sobs affected her more deeply tonight than
usual.
After disconnecting, she needed some break time and drove to
the nearby convenience store for a smoke and an energy drink. There sitting on the curb in the parking lot,
she broke down.
Tears burst forth like water
from a dam - defenses washed away by salty tears. Shaunda cried as if the ferocity of it might
bring the child back to life. She just couldn’t
stop imagining what that Mom was going through.
She immediately sensed a presence.
The woman who owned the store sat down beside her. Many of the dispatchers frequented this
store, so they were all familiar to her.
She handed Shaunda a steaming cup of coffee and a small plastic
bag.
“God bless you for what you do dear,” she said in a kind, sincere
voice. “Remember the ones you saved when
you can't forget the ones you weren’t able to."
Smiling, she turned and walked back into her store. The bag contained a blueberry muffin, some Skittles,
a pack of tissues, and her favorite energy drink.
“Thank you, Margaret,” she thought to herself, “for being
there when I didn't even know I needed you. And for knowing us so well that you understood
my dismay and knew exactly what to say to help me through it. And thanks for the care package, too.”
Two ordinary, yet earthly treasures quietly doing God’s
work.
Witness your preacher.
Consider the elderly women who make snacks for all youth events or the
man who faithfully mows the church lawn.
Look at the manager, the electrician, and the tax accountant who conduct
business with the highest ethical standards.
Think about the teenage athlete who leads the team in prayer before each
game.
We’re all ordinary! Those
above were content being ordinary so God could do His extraordinary work
through them. You can do anything God
wants you to do … if you’ll let Him.
God of Love, help us remember that You have
no body now on earth except ours, no hands but ours, no feet but ours. Give us the courage to minister to those in
need with love, compassion, integrity and in other ways to glorify You. Amen
